Kemi Badenoch will face an exposed Keir Starmer

Kemi Badenoch probably could have already served a shortened term as prime minister if she had made different choices. At the turn of the year, key figures in the secretive group behind commissioning the mammoth MRP polls, which would show how badly the Tories would lose under Rishi Sunak, hoped that in response she would signal her readiness to take power.